Thill-coupling



(N0 Mode l.)

W. M. EDELIN.

' THILD COUPLING. No. 423,675. Patented Mar. 18, 1890;

llllllliilllllllill mwnwnm v INVENTOR: WITNESSES:

1 BY 0AM Ian/W ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM M. EDELIN, or FALL'sToN, MARYLAND.

THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 423,675, dated March 18, 1890.

Application filed January 14, 1890- Serial No. 336,932. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. EDELIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fallston, in the county of Harford and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thtll-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in thill-couplings, the object being to provide a device for attaching either shafts ora tongue to, the front axle of vehicles, so as to admit of their quick and convenient attachment and detachment, and also to prevent rattling.

The invention i'sillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a section of the axle and shows a side view of the coupling and thill. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same parts. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of that part of the coupling which is clipped to the axle. Fig. 4c is a similar view. Fig. 5 shows two views of the thill-iron. Fig. 6 shows two views of the short metal bar and its two leathers.

The letter A designates the axle, B the usual clip, and O the ear-bar of the thill-coupling, to which the said axle-clip is made fast. This ear-bar has two cars D, each provided on its inner face with a socket-bearing e for the rigid trunnion e on the thill-iron F. The inner face of each ear D also has a horizontal groove g, leading from the rear of the ear forward to the top of said bearing 6. The outer side of the ears have a solid wall h, covering both the said bearing e and groove g. No separate pin or bolt is used, the trunnions e, fixed on the thill-iron, being substituted. By this arrangement, when it is desired to attach a pair of shafts or a pole, it is only necessary to place the thill end having the trunnions in position at the rear of the ears D, so that the head part t' of the iron will be between the said two ears, and then draw the thill or shafts forward, and thereby cause the trunnions e to slide along the horizontal ear-grooves g and drop into the bearings e, which are lower than the groove g. These bearings e arebushed or lined with leather 7t, and the trunnions e are seated in these leatherbushings. As the bearings e are lower than the horizontal grooves g, it will be seen that neither-a pull forward nora push backward of the thill-iron F will tend to dislodge the trunnions e.

To effectually confine the trunnions down in their bearings and to cushion them on top, and thereby keep them from rattling, I use two leather blocks Z, which are attached to the ends of a short metal bar m, so as to form a frame of three rectangular sides. This frame is placed in position so that the shortmetal bar m will be crosswise of the ear-bar C, and each of the leather blocks Z will occupy one of the horizontal grooves g, and on top of or above a trunnion e, as shown in Fig. 3. A spring a at the back or rear side of the short metal bar on presses against the clip B, or againsta shoulder on the ear-bar O, and keeps the leather blocks Z to their position. It will thus be seen that the trunnions e of the thilliron are surrounded by leather, and the head part 2' of the thill-iron is also acted on at the fiat sides by the leather Z, and therefore cannot rattle.

To detach the shafts from a vehicle, it is only necessary, first, to remove the short metal bar on and its leathers Z, and then lift out the trunnions 6'.

Having described my invention, I claim- The improved thill or pole coupling consisting of the combination of the iron F, having at its end trunnions e, an ear-bar having two cars D, each provided on its inner face with a horizontal groove g, and also atrunnionbearing 6 lower than the groove, but communicating therewith, and said ears having on their outer side a wall h, covering the bearing and groove, and a short crosswise barm, having two blocks Z, each of which occupies one of the said ear-grooves, with a spring to keep the bar and blocks in position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.-

WILLIAM M. EDELIN. lVitnesses:

JOHN E. MORRIS, .INo. T. MADDOX. 

